Self-adjusting bearing.



No. 791,059. PATENTED MAY 30, 1905. A. VAN WORMER.

SELF ADJUSTING BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES: Z14 W INVENTOR 2 a. 4M, V W I A7TOH/VEY PATENTED MAY 3Q,1905.

A. VAN WORMER. SELF ADJUSTING BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8, 1904.

2 SHEETS8HEET 2.

WITNESSES: M Kw Z INVENTOH BY%%QWI Patented May 30, 1905.

PATENT FFICE.

ARBA VAN WORMER, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE FORT WAYNE WINDMILL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

SELF-ADJUSTING BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 791,059, dated May 30,1905.

- Application filed August 8, 1904. Serial No. 219,845.

To all whom it 77710; concern:

Be it known that I, ARBA VAN WORMER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen and Stateof Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSelf-Adjusting Bearings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in self-adjusting bearings; andthe object thereof is to afford a ball-bearing which will automaticallyadjust itself to the plane of the member which rests upon the balls andto provide means to hold said balls in proper relative position. Iaccomplish this object by the construction illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a planashowing the bearingarranged upon a tower-cap, part of the retaining-ring being cutaway.Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same and showing also the shank of awindmill-head mounted in place. Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing theinvention applied to the hub of a windmill, and Fig.4 is a verticalsection showing the retaining-ring upon an enlarged scale.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views, and, referring now to the same, 1 is a cup having inone side thereof an annular channel 2. An annular flange 3 extendsupward at the outer periphery of the cup and overhangs inwardly, and anannular shoulder 4 ranges around the channel 2 and adjacent the flange3. An annular flange 6 extends upwardly from the cup along the innermargin of the channel 2. Bearing-balls 7 are arranged to roll in thechannel 2, and a retaining-ring 5, having openings 8, is placed withinthe flange 3 and over said balls, the said balls ranging loosely in saidopenings, re-

spectively.

5 is composed of two semicircular sections, one of which has extendingllps 9 upon its under side, which range under the abutting 5 ends of theopposite section, and said lips are secured thereto by screws 10, thusconnecting said sections. 11 is a tower-cap having therein a socket-seat46, in which the cup 1 is loosely supported; The said cup has a centralbore 15, through which the shank 12 of the windmill-head extends. Thesaid bore is of greater diameter than the said shank and affordssufficient play to allow the cup to shift in said socket-seat withoutcoming into contact with said shank. A bearing-ring 14: is arrangedbetween the shoulder 13 of the head 17 and balls 7 and is made ofhardened metal suitable to resist the wear occasioned by engagement uponthe balls. The outer lower edge 5 of the shoulder 13 overhangs the cup1, and thereby shields the bearing from the weather.

In Fig. 3 a socket-seat 16 is shown formed in a hub 18, which isarranged to rotate upon a stud 19, and the cup 1 is arranged in saidseat in a similar manner to the former instance.

For the sake of convenience of expression the tower-cap, with itssocket-seat, will hereinafter be referred to as the supporting memberand the shank 12 and the ring 14 as the rotating member, and theconstruction shown in Fig. 3 will be considered as an equivalent of thatshown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the operation of my invention it is ob- 8o vious the rotating memberis supported upon the balls, and because of the weight of said rotatingmember and the curvature of the lower surface of the cup and of thesocketseat the said cup will adjust itself in said socket-seat of thesupporting member, and thereby compensate for any unequal weight placedupon any of the series of balls 7 by the said rotating member.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the class described, a supporting member having asocket-seat therein;

a cup loosely arranged in said socket-seat there being an annular flangeextending inwardly at the top of said cup; an annular series of ballsarranged in said cup; a retainingballs respectively, and being heldloosely in place by said flange; a bearing-ring resting upon said balls;and a rotating member having a shank Which extends loosely through thebore of said cup, and a shoulder supported upon said bearing-ring.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ARBA VAN WORMER. Witnesses:

H. J. LAMPKE, W. G. BURNS.

